These past few months in my life I feel that I have been ridden with failures that have going on; that failures have prevailed over the blessings in some ways. For starters I lost one job in the name of my bipolar disorder, I felt as I had to leave this most recent job because they were falsely accusing me of actions I didn’t participate in. I have let my blog and my art in general go by the wayside and allowed my depression and bipolar to prevent me from continuing on with my art after working hours. I focused primarily on sleep which has hindered my relationships with friends and family and with my boyfriend. I let my relationship with God not be my main priority. Writing this all out makes it seem like my “failures” aren’t really failures, instead, they are short comings.
I think when most people are failing, or so they think, they tend to shy away from their higher power. Why? Because they are ashamed of their actions and don’t want to confront anyone, even the Heavenly Father, who is all knowing. Well, that’s how it is in my experience, but I know I can’t be the only one! So before writing this blog post, I did some research about what the bible says in regard to failure and I found a series of verses that I want to share with you all.
DISCLAIMER: I will never try to convert anyone to become a Christian or any other religion for that matter because I know that’s the last thing you want when you have the right to believe what you believe. I share this in that it has helped me made some realizations that can be relevant and applicable to all.
- “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” -Proverbs 24:16 NLT
- “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” -Romans 3:23 KJV
- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
- “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” -James 1:2-4 NIV
I originally was going to clump each verse into one general meaning in regard to failure, but that does so much injustice to each piece of scripture. So I will begin with Proverbs. I will talk in terms of believers in God and nonbelievers, but you can fill in your choice of words, such as the righteous and the wrongdoers or fill in the blank. So for this verse, the righteous or the believers will continually get up in spite of their failures or short comings, while one little thing can trip up someone who is evil at heart. For example, COVID-19 has a lot of people flustered and although the righteous may stumble or fall into this cycle of fear, the righteous will persevere, while those who are panicking over the virus may not ever be the same once the fear and virus is gone. By living in fear, you’re letting your enemies win. Whether it be Satan or just the assholes that can get you down. Point is, you can’t let them win, you gotta get back up again regardless of fear, regardless if you think you’re strong enough, you must perservere!
Romans states that everyone sins or does wrong and falls short of the glory of God. That is such a simple, yet profound statement. It essentially states that no human or being is different from one another in the fact that we all have short comings, failures, losses and will never live up to Heavenly standards. But with Christ in our hearts and believing that His son died on the cross to save our sins, we, the believers, become righteous and do not fall short of the glory of God.
The verse in Jeremiah states that God has a plan for us, not a plan of evil, but a plan that provides a future and hope for each and every one of us. It reminds me of the verse that states every hair on our heads are numbered; that every action that the Lord thinks and does is s deliberate and methodical. This verse brings me peace knowing that a higher power has a plan for myself and others. Not just one plan, but plans for you, and you, and you, and you! Every plan is as detailed and methodical as it was numbering the amount of hairs that grow on your head, or the color eyes you have, or the abilities that you have. His plan to make me bipolar was deliberate, never a wrongdoing or an act of evil.
Last, but not least, we look at the verse of James. We know from this verse that when facing adversity of any kind, it tests your faith and produces perseverance. We are told to “consider it pure joy”. Why would one facing hardships consider it pure joy? The verse later states that by completing the hardship, persevering through adversity, you will end up “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” With that being said, one could conclude that by working through your hardship, whether it be financial instability, relationship issues, or even bipolar disorder, we should be joyous because we will come out with more wisdom in the end. From the verse in Jeremiah and this verse, you can come to think that God’s plans are methodical, even your hardships, and He wants these events, that are planned out, to help you grow in your wisdom and grow closer to Christ.
Conclusion
Failure may seem like it may be prevailing in all aspects of your life, but for me, knowing someone has a plan for my life brings me peace. What brings you peace in times of failure or adversity? Comment below!
Til Next Time,
Dani
Precarious Aquarius 